How late should I board?

HI!

We are schedule to take a celebrity cruise from Istanbul on 9/7. Post departure time is 9PM. If I recall correctly, when I called, they said you must be on the ship by 7PM. I arrive in Istanbul late the day before and will only have ONE full day to see Istanbul. So I want to maximize my time in Istanbul, but not stress AT ALL about getting to the ship in time. I know alot of people get on as early as possible, but I will be on the ship for 13 days, so don't see that as necessary. For those frequent cruisers, what time would plan to arrive at the port?

Thanks,

Anne

If your boarding cutoff is 7PM that's non-negotiable. Given that you are embarking the ship and not just stopping over on a port call I would recommend no later than 5PM.

Ultimately you have to decide what is more important to you: touring Istanbul or getting on that ship. You will be dropped from the manifest if you don't check in by the cutoff time.

Any chance that you can change your flight and fly in a day earlier?

If it confirmed that you MUST be on the ship by 7 pm, I would plan to be there by 5:30 pm, maybe sooner depending on where you are when you start for the ship. Istanbul traffic can be horrendous. When we were finishing up a private tour and were stuck in traffic the driver said "you can get to the hotel in 5 minutes if you walk that way, or it will take at least 20 minutes if you stay in the car."

I wonder if you can embark earlier in the day, get checked in and leave your luggage, then get off the ship and explore Istanbul a while longer. That's what we did in San Juan, with Carnival.

Does the ship overnite in Istanbul?

i.e, on the night of 8/7 will you be in an Istanbul hotel or on the ship?

If you've registered & boarded on the 8th & set out from the ship to explore next morning then 7pm is fine - you know your way back to the ship, you'll be unencumbered with luggage, trams to the port aren't screwed by the traffic, & you simply have to walk from the tram stop to the ship & board by 7pm.

But if after your day in Istanbul you have to collect your bags from your hotel, take a taxi, & register for the ship, you'd be wise to give it longer - though with respect to BlueRiband IMHO 5pm is excessively cautious.

Eddie's idea of early registration before exploring probably won't work well in Istanbul - I doubt you'd be able to register much before noon & the port is a bare minimum of 20 minutes by tram from the sights.

Yes, Istanbul's traffic can be pretty horrendous at that time of day. Certainly allow at least an hour from Sultanahmet to the port.

And, as BlueRiband's post, a latest boarding of 7pm will be non-negotiable. There's a cut-off time for the ship to include names & numbers on the manifest, and there'll be a lifeboat drill before you sail.

Super city, have a great cruise

JB :)

In Istanbul we tend to board early (around noon), drop our carry-on stuff in the cabin, and then head off the ship into town. This way you do not have to worry about getting to the ship, can do a normal check-out at your hotel and grab a taxi direct to your ship, and when you return late in the afternoon your luggage will be waiting in your cabin. Keep in mind that it is relatively easy to get from the port into the best part of town (via the Tram or a taxi).

Hank

HI!

 

We are schedule to take a celebrity cruise from Istanbul on 9/7. Post departure time is 9PM. If I recall correctly, when I called, they said you must be on the ship by 7PM. I arrive in Istanbul late the day before and will only have ONE full day to see Istanbul. So I want to maximize my time in Istanbul, but not stress AT ALL about getting to the ship in time. I know alot of people get on as early as possible, but I will be on the ship for 13 days, so don't see that as necessary. For those frequent cruisers, what time would plan to arrive at the port?

Thanks,

Anne

If you start your day early you will be worn out by 5:00 and most sites close by then anyway, so I would plan on boarding around that time.

BTW while parts were a bit rushed we used a guide and saw most of the major sites between 9:00 and 4:00 and that included shopping and both main bazaars. The only thing we missed was the cisterns. We controlled the pace of our tour and had as much times as we wanted.

If you want more time in Istanbul, arrive a day earlier. If you are NOT on the ship when they tell you, you will NOT be able to board.

If you start your day early you will be worn out by 5:00 and most sites close by then anyway, so I would plan on boarding around that time.

 

BTW while parts were a bit rushed we used a guide and saw most of the major sites between 9:00 and 4:00 and that included shopping and both main bazaars. The only thing we missed was the cisterns. We controlled the pace of our tour and had as much times as we wanted.

You know, You're probably right about being worn out -especially since we will probably still be adjusting to the time changes.

I already booked flights, so we have what we have. I had originally told the guide we wanted to board at 4PM, but then they sent an itinerary ending at 3:30. and now I'm thinking that we can tour until 4 - with wiggle room to 4:30 and probably still get the port by 5 or 5:30 - which is well before the 7PM.

I have arranged for a private guide who will be flexible to however we want to play it. Nice to know you were able to see most of the major sights in that time frame.

Thanks for everyone for their suggestions.

Anne